text:
The simplest possible persistent chat solution!
Fully self-hosted: No 3rd-party account required 🙂
Simple Ajax Chat makes it easy for your visitors to chat with each other on your website. Simply add a shortcode to any post or page and done! Instant chat forum anywhere. The chat form is fully customizable with many options, so you can create the perfect chat box for your visitors.
Check out the Live Demo of Simple Ajax Chat »
New Pro version supports unlimited chats!
Simple Ajax Chat is fully self-hosted with NO 3rd-party service required. Many (if not all) of the other free chat plugins require registration and monthly service from a 3rd-party provider. With Simple Ajax Chat, there is no 3rd-party: WordPress is all that's required. Own your chats!
Difference between SAC free and SAC Pro
The main difference between SAC free and SAC Pro? Easy:
- SAC free supports 1 chat form
- SAC Pro supports unlimited chat forms
Pro can do everything free can do and SO much more. Customize each chat form with unique features. SAC Pro is an all new plugin written with smarter, faster code and all the latest techniques. Get SAC Pro »
SAC Features
- The simplest possible persistent chat
- Fully self-hosted: No 3rd-party account required
- Ajax goodness loads new chats without page refresh
- Smart chat processing optimizes for performance
- Works with all browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.)
- Works with all mobile devices (iPhone, Android, etc.)
- Display easily via shortcode or template tag
- Display chat box in multiple locations
- Regularly updated & "future proof"
- Supports custom CSS styles
- Strong anti-spam security
- Clean HTML markup
More Features
- Plug-&-play: no configuration required
- Built-in control panel to edit and delete chats
- Define your own list of banned words and phrases
- Display chat messages in ascending or descending order
- Display custom content before/after the chat form
- Option to play sound alert for chat messages
- Option to restrict chat to logged-in users
- Option to restore default plugin settings
- Option to enable browser notifications
- Export all chat messages via CSV file
- Supports emoticons and emojis 🙂
Customize Everything
- Limit maximum number of chat messages
- Limit maximum length of each chat message
- Advanced customization via filter hooks
- Option to use textarea for larger input field
- Option to use logged-in username as the chat name
- Option to enable/disable URL field for chat names
- Load JavaScript only when chat box is displayed
- Customize the update interval for Ajax requests
- Customize the fade-in colors for new chats
- Customize the fade-duration for new chats
- Plus much more!
That's a LOT of awesome features, but the Pro version has WAY more. Compare features (free vs. pro) »
This plugin collects voluntary user chat data (i.e., Name, Chat Message, and optional URL field). It also gives the administrator the option to collect or not collect user IP information. Aside from those two things, this plugin does not collect or store any user data. This plugin uses a few cookies for the chat functionality. It does not connect to any third-party locations. Minimal impact on privacy.
This plugin supports translation into any language »
Simple Ajax Chat is developed and maintained by Jeff Starr, 15-year WordPress developer and book author.
Support development
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can make a donation or purchase one of my books:
- The Tao of WordPress
- Digging into WordPress
- .htaccess made easy
- WordPress Themes In Depth
- Wizard's SQL Recipes for WordPress
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
- BBQ Pro – Super fast WordPress firewall
- Blackhole Pro – Automatically block bad bots
- Banhammer Pro – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys
- GA Google Analytics Pro – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics
- Simple Ajax Chat Pro – Unlimited chat rooms
- USP Pro – Unlimited front-end forms
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂
- Upload the plugin to your blog and activate
- Visit the settings to configure your options
More info on installing WP plugins
Once the settings are configured, you can display the form anywhere using the shortcode or template tag.
Use this shortcode to display the chat box on a post or page:
Template Tag
Use this template tag to display the chat box anywhere in your theme template:
<?php if (function_exists('simple_ajax_chat')) simple_ajax_chat(); ?>
More chat forms and features
The free version of SAC supports one chat form that can be displayed anywhere. The Pro version supports unlimited chat forms and great features like Google reCaptcha, private chats, mute/ban users, and much more. Get SAC Pro »
To upgrade Simple Ajax Chat, remove the old version and replace with the new version. Or just click "Update" from the Plugins screen and let WordPress do it for you automatically.
Note: uninstalling the plugin from the WP Plugins screen results in the removal of all settings and chat messages from the WP database.
Restore Default Options
To restore default plugin options, either uninstall/reinstall the plugin, or visit the plugin settings > Restore Default Options.
Simple Ajax Chat cleans up after itself. All plugin settings and chat messages will be removed from your database when the plugin is uninstalled via the Plugins screen.
Stopping spam
This plugin works in two modes:
- "Open Air" mode – anyone can chat
- "Private" mode – only logged-in users can chat
"Private" mode stops all automated spam, but registered users may still send "spammy" chat messages. Likewise, the "Open Air" mode is super effective at blocking automated spam, but some manual spam may get through. As a general rule, the longer your chat forum is online, the more of a target it will be for spam.
Alternately/additionally you can use .htaccess to block spammers. It's an easy, super-effective method for controlling access to your site.
Browser Notifications
SAC provides optional browser notifications. When enabled in the plugin settings, all of the notification stuff happens automatically, depending on your browser settings. For example, if your browser is set to deny all site notifications, then you won't see any SAC notifications. Likewise, if your browser is configured to allow notifications (and they are enabled in the settings), then you will see the notifications display whenever you are visiting the chat box and someone leaves a message. For more infos, check out the documentation for your specific browser.
Other Notes
Some additional notes just FYI:
- The chat markup includes
class for online users - Includes template of all CSS hooks (located @
) - Timestamp for each chat message included in chat markup
Like the plugin?
If you like Simple Ajax Chat, please take a moment to give a 5-star rating. It helps to keep development and support going strong. Thank you!
How do I change the alert sound?
Open the directory
and replace the filesmsg.mp3
with your desired audio files. You will notice lots of alternate sound files included in that same directory. Simply rename any pair of files to replace the defaults. -
Where can I find a complete list of CSS selectors?
Check out
located in theresources
directory. -
Can we auto-delete chat messages on a set time interval?
Yes, please see this post at WP-Mix.com: Auto-Clear Chats.
Does it work with mobile devices?
Yep, the chat plugin works great on iPhones, Android devices, and just about anything that supports JavaScript.. the functionality is achieved using Ajax.
Is it possible to whitelist SAC plugin files?
Yes, check out Simple Ajax Chat .htaccess whitelist and/or Whitelist POST access with .htaccess
How do I hide "Latest Message: X minutes ago"?
Add this CSS:
#sac-latest-message { display: none; }
You can add that to the plugin setting, "Custom CSS styles" or your theme styles, wherever. If adding via the plugin setting, make sure that the associated setting, "Enable custom styles" also is enabled.
How do I hide the Name, URL, etc. labels on the form?
Add this CSS:
#sac-form label { display: none; }
You can add that to the plugin setting, "Custom CSS styles" or your theme styles, wherever. If adding via the plugin setting, make sure that the associated setting, "Enable custom styles" also is enabled.
You can hide the "say it" submit button, so the user must press enter to submit chats. Add this CSS:
#sac-user-submit { display: none; }
You can add that to the plugin setting, "Custom CSS styles" or your theme styles, wherever. If adding via the plugin setting, make sure that the associated setting, "Enable custom styles" also is enabled.
The form is not displaying correctly, looks all messed up?
Simple Ajax Chat is designed to look great on any of the default WP themes and most other themes as well. Even so, every theme is different, and it's impossible to test on the hundreds of thousands of themes that are available. So if the chat form is not looking awesome on your theme, it's because your theme for whatever reason is applying its own particular styles. If this is the case, you can try disabling the plugin setting to "Enable custom styles". If that doesn't help, you can include your own custom CSS, or customize the plugin's default styles. Alternately, you may include custom CSS via your theme's stylesheet, and/or modify your theme's CSS as needed to make things display as desired. Tip: to see how the chat form should look, check it out using any of the default WP themes.
The chat form is visible but new chats are not displayed?
If this is happening, and/or if you are receiving a "Failed opening required" error message, most likely your site's
file is not located in the usual default location (i.e., it has been moved to a custom location). If this is the case, you will need to edit the paths in/simple-ajax-chat-core.php
(line 4) and/resources/sac.php
(line 10). At some point I will be revamping the plugin so that this modification won't be necessary. -
How do I fix weird characters displayed in the chat box?
If you are seeing question marks or other weird characters or symbols in chat messages, you can try one of the following solutions:
- Uninstall (delete) the plugin, and then re-install. Note that this technique resets all settings and deletes all chat messages.
- Or, if you don't want to lose any settings or chat messages, you can run the following SQL command:
ALTER TABLE wp_ajax_chat CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
Either of these techniques should resolve any weird character issues. Note that the SQL command assumes you are using the default database prefix,
. So make sure to edit that part of the command if you are using a custom database prefix. -
How do I customize the login-required message?
By default, the login-required message is "You must be a registered user to participate in this chat." To customize this message, check out this forum post.
Chat Box not working in certain browsers (e.g., Chrome)?
Certain plugins (e.g., Shield Security) may implement security headers that prevent SAC from working properly. To resolve this issue, visit the "HTTP Headers" tab and go to "Security Headers tab" (or similar depending on which plugin you are using). There you can set the "Referrer Policy" to "Same Origin" and then save changes. SAC immediately should start working properly, but you also may need to clear the browser cache and hard reload the page.
How to translate form inputs?
If the form inputs like "Submit" button are not showing translation. You can work around by adding the following jQuery snippet:
<script>jQuery(function() { jQuery('#submitchat').val('Whatever'); });</script>
That needs to be included in your theme after jQuery is loaded. Then change
to the ID of the form input. ChangeWhatever
to whatever you want to display for the text. -
How to show the date/time of each chat?
Add the following CSS to the plugin setting, "Custom CSS styles":
ul#sac-messages li.sac-chat-message::before { content: "[ 'attr(data-time)' ]"; color: #777; }
After saving changes, that CSS will display the chat date/time next to each message, for example:
[ 2021-08-30,08:35:57 ] Chat User: Hello this is a chat message left in August of 2021.
How to display chat box and form in vertical fashion?
By default, the chat box and form are displayed side by side. Here is a quick tutorial to display them vertically, so the chat form is below the chat box. This is useful for optimizing SAC for limited space on the page.
Got a question?
Send any questions or feedback via my contact form
Contributors & Developers
"Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors"Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box" has been translated into 7 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate "Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
If you like Simple Ajax Chat, please take a moment to give a 5-star rating. It helps to keep development and support going strong. Thank you!
New Pro version supports unlimited chats!
- Fixes XSS bug with Name field
- Tests on WordPress 6.4
- Tightens security/validation of display options (Thank you WP Plugin Review Team)
- Tests on WordPress 6.4
- Improves
.htaccess rules - Updates default translation template
- Updates custom banner notice
- Tests on WordPress 6.4 (beta)
- Improves support panel logic
- Improves .htaccess directives
- Improves plugin documentation
- Adds PHP constant
- Adds custom notice on settings page
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.3 (beta)
- Tweaks settings UI
- Improves responsive styles
- Improves logic for
- Improves logic for
- Improves logic when calling
- Replaces some global variables with constants
- Moves WP Resources panel to its own function
- Removes SES Pro from WP Resources panel
- Generates new translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.1 + 6.2 (beta)
- Tests on PHP 8.1 and 8.2
- Fixes bug with sessions and headers already sent
- Improves compatibility with WordPress.com
- Adds new action link on WP Plugins screen
- Adds custom footer text to plugin settings
- Improves plugin settings page details
- Improves plugin documentation
- Updates "Show Support" panel
- Updates translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.1
- Improves compatibility with WordPress.com (Thanks Thom @ Automattic)
- Chat names must include at least one non-whitespace character
- Chat names support multibyte characters (Thanks @nikita12345)
- Chat messages must include at least one non-whitespace character
- Improves anti-spam protection (Thanks @rlama)
- Changes "User ID" to "Chat ID" in CSV export file
- Adds
attribute to chat and user links - Changes input type to
for user URL field - Removes unused audio files
- Improves sanitization of user URL input
- Adds info about SAC Pro on plugin page
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.1 (alpha)
- Fixes several security issues (Thanks Vlad Ex.Mi)
- Fixes security issue with exported data (Thanks Austin Turecekn)
- Improves performance of SQL queries (Thanks Martin V.)
- Improves resetting of default plugin options
- Improves display of plugin settings page
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 6.0
- Updates support panel
- Improves plugin documentation
- Improves loading of translations
- Adds date/time to chats on settings page
- Updates some links to external resources
- Changes minimum required WP version to 4.6
- Tests on WordPress 5.9
- Adds several options for browser notifications
- Removes rogue file from languages folder
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 5.8
- Fixes PHP deprecated notice non-string needles
- Fixes Uncaught TypeError on Android/Chrome
- Removes deprecated
translation file - Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 5.7
- Fixes bug with chat not working on mobile browsers
- Tests on WordPress 5.6
- Adds browser notifications (Thanks @benbois)
- Adds filter hook
- Improves the chat processing script
- Increases maximum chat message size in database
- Fixes bug where chat fails w/ blank referrer
- Fixes bug with parentheses in chat username
- Fixes some missing translation strings
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on PHP 7.4 and 8.0
- Tests on WordPress 5.6
- Adds filters
(Thank you Luca) - Updates sets of nonce secret keys
- Refines plugin setting page styles
- Refines readme/documentation
- Tests on WordPress 5.5
- Fixes bug with Site Health loopback request
- Fixes bug with targeted loading
- Fixes bug with Ajax requests and error
- Fixes bug with invalid chat user names
- Improves security of form cookies
- Tests on WordPress 5.4
- Updates styles for plugin settings page
- Tests on WordPress 5.3
- Fixes PHP Warning:
: Empty needle warning - Tests on WordPress 5.3 (alpha)
- Improves loading of scripts and core files
- Improves logic of
- Updates some links to https
- Tests on WordPress 5.3 (alpha)
- Bumps minimum PHP version to 5.6.20
- Tweaks plugin settings screen content
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 5.2
- Updates
- Adds check for admin user for settings shortcut link
- Tweaks plugin settings screen UI
- Generates new default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 5.1 and 5.2 (alpha)
- Tests on WordPress 5.1
- Adds homepage link to Plugins screen
- Updates default translation template
- Tests on WordPress 5.0
- Fixes PHP Deprecated notice, "The each() function is deprecated"
- Further tests on WP versions 4.9 and 5.0 (alpha)
- Refines some details on the plugin settings page
- Replaces
for custom CSS - Adds
rel="noopener noreferrer"
to all blank-target links - Updates GDPR blurb and donate link
- Further tests on WP versions 4.9 and 5.0 (alpha)
- Adds option to disable collection of IP address information
- Adds
rel="noopener noreferrer"
to relevant_blank
target links - Increases max number of characters per chat (from 200 to 1000)
- Escapes some attributes and markup in the plugin settings
- Bugfix: Display Mode should not apply to logged-in users
- Removes text shadows and borders on chat-date tooltips
- Updates Show Support panel
- Tweaks settings page UI
- Generates new translation template
- Updates plugin image files
- Tests on WordPress 5.0 (alpha)
- Improves functionality of
- Tests on WordPress 4.9
- Removes extra
check for settings validation - Tests on WordPress 4.9
- Adds further support for customizing logged username
- Fixes bug with non-JavaScript chat submission
- Tests on WordPress 4.9
- Adds "Export Chats" feature via plugin settings screen
- Adds tooltips to display the date/time of chat messages
- Adds "Display Mode" setting to display the chat messages as "read-only"
- Changes
attribute for login-required message:#sac-panel
is now#sac-output
- Adds filter hooks,
- Updates default CSS for the setting, "Custom CSS styles"
- Renames span class from
in chat list - Adds extra
capability check to modify settings - Replaces
attributes withrel="external"
- Changes default URL value from
- Improves SAC database creation functionality
- Streamlines Support panel in plugin settings
- Tests on WordPress 4.9
- Adds filter hook
- Fixes HTML for chat messages on plugin settings page
- Tests on WordPress 4.9 (alpha)
- Tweaked readme.txt 🙂
- Updates alert panel functionality
- Removes colons
from chat form labels - Adds another layer of security against spam
- Tweaks styles on plugin settings page
- Adds class
to chat messages of online users - Removes extraneous div when user is logged out and login is required
- Improves styles for logged out users when login is required
- Updates database creation script
- Refines display of settings panels
- Updates show support panel in plugin settings
- Replaces global
- Fixes some incorrect translation domains
- Generates new default translation template
- Tests on WordPress version 4.8
- Fixed session already started notice
- Fixed call to undefined function error
- Relocated
function - Added function
- Improved security of session cookies
- Updated plugin author URL
- Changed stable tag from trunk to latest version
- Refactored
function - Updated URL for rate this plugin links
- Improved default style for abbr tags
- Regenerated default language template
- Tests on WordPress version 4.7 (beta)
- Streamlined and optimized plugin settings page
- Replaced
- Replaced
- Added plugin icons and larger banner image
- Renamed text-domain from "sac" to "simple-ajax-chat"
- Removed local translations in favor of GlotPress
- Added sixty-minute interval for auto-clearing chats
- Fixed bug with targeted URLs including parameters
- Added
hook to enable filtering of user URL - Added more attributes to allowed tags for custom content
- Renamed
- Removed
hook - Added
filter hook - Added
filter hook - Added
filter hook - Generated new translation template
- Improved translation support
- Tested on WordPress 4.6
Important! Two plugin files have changed names in this version. So DEACTIVATE the plugin BEFORE performing the update. Then after upgrading, reactivate the plugin and you're good to go.
- Refactored plugin JavaScript for better performance
- Swapped names of core plugin and chat process files
- Added more granular control over script loading
- Further testing on WordPress version 4.5 beta
- Refactored simple-ajax-chat-core.php
- Replaced sac_add_to_head() with sac_enqueue_scripts()
- Removed unnecessary $user_ID and get_currentuserinfo() in simple_ajax_chat()
- Removed unnecessary $user_ID, $user_identity, and get_currentuserinfo() in sac_happens()
- Refactored uninstall.php
- Refactored simple-ajax-chat.php
- Optimized nonce handling
- Refactored simple-ajax-chat-form.php
- Restyled default chat/form display
- Removed redundant default options
- Tweaked simple-ajax-chat-admin.php
- Added
hook - Added
hook - Added auto-clear chats cron functionality
- Added sac_truncate_chats_action hook
- sac_truncate_chats_interval_filter hook
- Added more chat alert sound files
- Removed player.swf file (not used)
- Changed the default alert sound
- Removed redundant esc_sql() from edit chat and delete chat functions
- Added stripslashes() to name display on form, and to edit/add chat functions
- Removed stripslashes() from plugin settings screen
- Added Slovak translation (thanks to lulu108)
- Increased size of manage chat buttons
- sac.php now includes WP the same way as simple-ajax-chat.php
- Replaced icon with retina version
- Added screenshot to readme/docs
- Added retina version of banner
- Reorganized and refreshed readme.txt
- Tested on WordPress version 4.5 beta
- Updated heading hierarchy in plugin settings
- Added missing get_currentuserinfo() where applicable
- Updated some i18n code and added French translation (Thanks to alysko)
- Added Russian translation (Thanks to arniarni)
- Improved logic of database query in sac_shout_edit()
- Added esc_url() to sac_add_to_head()
- Updated default translation template
- Updated minimum version requirement
- Tested on WordPress 4.4 beta
- Tested on WordPress 4.3
- Updated minimum version requirement
- Fixed 404/500 error for certain setups
- Tested with WP 4.2 + 4.3 (alpha)
- Changed a few "http" links to "https"
- Fixed XSS vulnerability with add_query_arg()
- Added primary key flag to create database function
- Improved logic in simple-ajax-chat.php
- Added nonce security to chat form
- Added support for SSL/https
- Added sac_censor_replace filter to customize censored words
- Added isset() to stop PHP warning
- Tested with latest version of WP (4.1)
- Increased minimum version to WP 3.8
- Added $sac_wp_vers for version check
- Added Text Domain and Domain Path to file header
- Removed deprecated screen_icon()
- Added alert notice for donations
- Streamline/fine-tune plugin code
- Replaced time() with current_time() throughout plugin
- Added timestamp for each chat via data-time attribute
- Replace $user_level and $sac_admin_user_level with current_user_can()
- New feature: option to set max number of allowed chats
- New feature: option to set max number of characters per chat
- New feature: option to set max number of characters in username
- Replaced hard-coded values for max chats/chars/name with options
- Revamped chat-order functionality (Thanks to MartinW2)
- Added line breaks to initJavaScript()
- Added rows="5″ cols="50″ to chat message textarea
- Updated auto-link regex, fixes backslash appended to URL
- Think I fixed the backslash-before-apostrophes issue, let me know!
- Replaced default .mo/.po templates with .pot template
- Tested on latest version of WordPress (4.0)
- Increased minimum version requirement to WP 3.7
- Added conditional check to min-version function
- Added option to display logged-in username as chat name
- Improved logic of simple_ajax_chat()
- Improved logic of sac_addData()
- Improved logic in core and admin files
- Increased default username max-length
- Fine-tuned plugin settings page
- Removed vestigial killswitch variable
- Fixed issue where special characters were not displaying correctly
- Replaced hardcoded paths with WP tags (e.g., wp-content directory)
- Replaced $user_nickname global with wp_get_current_user()
- Minified portions of the SAC JavaScript file for better performance
- Added conditional check for $sac_lastID is numeric
- Now using sanitize_text_field() for IPs
- Replaced htmlspecialchars() with sanitize_text_field()
- Replaced sac_special_chars() with esc_url() for user URL
- Replaced htmlentities(), stripslashes(), sac_clean() with sanitize_text_field()
- Replaced PHP tags with WP tags in sac_special_chars()
- Updated mo/po translation files
- New feature: added setting to display chats in ascending or descending order (beta)
- Improved logic for creating chat db table, fixes "mysql_list_tables" deprecated error
- Added various CSS selectors to chat messages for custom styling
- Added support for localization/translation
- Tested with latest WordPress (3.8)
- Added trailing slash to load_plugin_textdomain()
- Fixed 3 incorrect _e() tags in simple-sjax-chat-admin.php
- Edited setting description for "Require log in?" for accuracy
- Removed
from uninstall.php - Replaced
with " in sac.php - Replaced
in simple-ajax-core.php
- Replaced original header codes and WP includes in sac.php
- Removed 3x "Δ" from die() for better security
- Added "rate this plugin" link on Plugins and SAC settings screens
- Replaced 3x "wpdb->escape" with "esc_sql" in simple-ajax-chat-core.php
- Filter server variables with built-in simple-ajax-chat-admin.php (lines 65/66)
- Improved security when submitted chat fails (simple-ajax-chat.php)
- Specified no border for smileys in filter_smilies()
- Added localized timestamp of last chat to span.name in sac.php
- Localized "ago" in sac-admin, sac-core, and sac-form
- Localized sac_time_since() in simple-ajax-core.php
- Improved header codes and WP includes in sac.php
- Fixed bug where chats don't work if audio is disabled
- Added uninstall.php to remove options and chat table upon uninstall
- Enhanced functionality of plugin settings page
- Tested with latest version of WordPress (3.7)
- General code maintenance and cleanup
- Added support for localization
- Tightened form security
- Tightened plugin security
- Updated deprecated functions
- Resolved some PHP Notices
- Improved localization support
- Replaced some deprecated template tags
- Reorganized file/directory structure
- Separated Ajax stuff from core plugin
- Implemented strong anti-spam measures
- Many functions rewritten to maximize native WP functionality
- Improved audio support for chat alerts, fixed Safari bug
- Fixed: case-insensitive banned phrases
- Fixed: default options not working on install
- Fixed: a bunch of annoying PHP Notices
- Added .sac-reg-req for registration message div#sac-panel
- Updated CSS skeleton with new selector (@ "/resources/sac.css")
- Fixed: enable/disable links for usernames now works properly
- General code check n clean
- added comments to the .htaccess file (no active rules are included)
- Added JavaScript to set up sound-alerts (fixes undefined variable error)
- Added margins to submit buttons (now required in WP 3.5)
- Added "div#sac-panel p {}" to default CSS
- Added links to demo in readme.txt file
- Updated all instances of $wpdb->prepare with new syntax
- Added option for sound to play for new chat messages (note: chat-sound technique is borrowed from "Pierre's Wordspew")
- Edited line 217 to define variable and fix "timeout" error
- Enhanced markup for custom content
- Custom content may be added before and/or after the chat form and/or the list of chat messages
- Fixed PHP Warning: [function.stristr]: Empty delimiter (line 282)
- Removed fieldset border in default form styles (plugin settings)
- Added placeholders for name, URL, and chat message
- Initial release.


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So very, very talented! Vraiment ...please don't stop or change a stroke...Congrats !!.............Anndie King
guest | September 29, 2009
Great variety! You have some really pretty cards in here!!
red | April 29, 2009
Mariana, It is so great to see more artists doing illustration on the cards! I love your style so much! Colored pencil is such an amazing medium, ...I love it too. Your simple compositions, like the cupcake are my favorite! Wonderful talent you have!
Judy | April 13, 2009
Mariana, YOur store is wonderful, your skills are supreme, talent oozes and omg, you live in Provence..... Looks like a dream to me. Naquaiya
Michele | September 05, 2008
What a nice store you have!! Very pretty!
Sally | June 30, 2008
Hi Mariana, love "lonely without you teddy"! That facial expression!
Nice to see you here! Happy creating! barbara(marion)
Nice to see you here! Happy creating! barbara(marion)
Matteo/Joy | February 17, 2008
Mariana I love so much of your work! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Olivia | December 23, 2007
Your work is gorgeous, both artistically and subject-wise.
Sally | October 03, 2007
Hi Mariana, Wow! You HAVE been busy! I love the "presents" and the mouse and teacup. So so cute! Fantastic. Congrats, love,
guest | August 24, 2007
Hi Mariana, Your illustrations are just beautiful and I love your array of beautiful cards to choose from! best wishes
Lisa | August 03, 2007
Beautiful illustrations! Love them. More please!
guest | June 14, 2007
Gorgeous work Ana - love your cards!
Laura | June 01, 2007
Mariana...and I received your Sunflower card last week! It's beautiful! My mom loves it very much!
Nor Emila | May 24, 2007
Mariana! Love all your cards! They're beautiful!
Nor Emila | May 14, 2007
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guest | April 28, 2007
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guest | April 23, 2007
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trudette | April 20, 2007

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On March 10, in the Israeli city of Haifa, murdered 23 year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie will get her day in court, in what observers like Robert Naiman consider to be a test case for the power of Israel's rule of law versus the weight of her military occupation policies.
Rachel's parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, are bringing suit against the Israeli defence ministry for Rachel's killing by an Israeli military bulldozer in Gaza in March 2003.
Four key American and British witnesses who were present at the scene - members of the International Solidarity Movement - will be allowed into Israel to testify, despite having been barred previously by the Israeli authorities from entering the country. This reversal by the Israeli authorities is apparently due to U.S. government pressure, the Guardian reports. (Three cheers for any U.S. officials who contributed to this pressure. What else could you make the Israeli government do?)
A Palestinian doctor from Gaza who treated Corrie after she was injured has not been given permission by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza to attend. (This would seem to be important testimony concerning the nature of Rachel's injuries - did U.S. officials exert pressure for his appearance?)
This case isn't just about accountability for Rachel's death. It's a test case for the power of the rule of law in Israel, when the rule of law comes into conflict with the policies of military occupation.
When the rule of law in Israel comes into conflict with the policies of occupation, the rule of law often loses. But it does not always lose, particularly when the rule of law gets a boost from vigorous protest and political agitation. This month, Reuters reported, Israel began rerouting part of its "West Bank barrier" near the village of Bilin - the site of many Palestinian, Israeli, and international protests - in response to a petition filed in 2007 by Palestinians whose land was confiscated for the project. This was only a partial victory, because it only affected a minority of the confiscated land. But it shows that the rule of law in Israel is not totally impotent against the occupation, particularly when the rule of law is aided by protest and agitation.
It's also a test case for the power of nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. It's a commonplace among some poorly informed commenters - Edith Garwood of Amnesty International cites Bono, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and President Obama as recent examples - that Palestinians should "find their Martin Luther King." But this commentary is foolish and retrograde, as Rahm Emanuel might say. A necessary condition for the ascendance of a King or Gandhi -type movement in Palestine is that if Palestinian nonviolence activists are killed by the Israeli occupation, the government of Israel pays a significant price for that killing. If the Israeli government can kill an American peace activist and pay little price, what chance do the Palestinian Kings and Gandhis have?
It's instructive to do a press search on the recent developments in the Rachel Corrie case. Searching on Yahoo News, I found Israeli and Palestinian press, Jewish and Arab press, British and Australian press. But outside of the Seattle Weekly - Rachel is from Olympia, and Brian Baird is her Representative - I found no general US press. Isn't it remarkable that we Americans have to read the British press to find out about developments in the case of our compatriot? Isn't this state of affairs something that Bono, Nicholas Kristof and President Obama ought to reflect on, especially given the fact that they have significant ability to do something about it?
The persistence of Rachel's case as a thorn in the side of the Israeli occupation authorities recalls the 1960s Costa-Gavras docudrama "Z," about the political fallout from the assassination by the U.S. - supported Greek government of the Greek parliamentarian and peace movement leader Gregoris Lambrakis. There is a powerful scene in the movie in which one of Lambrakis' associates visits Lambrakis' widow to deliver the news that four high-ranking military police officers have been indicted in the killing. On the way to meet her Lambrakis' associate passes a group of Greek students painting the letter "Z" on the sidewalk, meaning "he (Lambrakis) lives." Marveling at the students' determined activism in the face of mounting repression, Lambrakis' associate says, "It's almost as if he were alive."
They murdered her, and yet she dogs them. It's almost as if she were alive.


text:
Adams' case falls apart even further
Written by Jeremy Holden
Race-baiting has been a central element to the phony New Black Panthers scandal from the start, despite the fact that right-wing activist J. Christian Adams' accusations do not stand up to the evidence. But court filings earlier this week, in which the Obama Justice Department is asking a federal court to extend its injunction against black leaders in Mississippi for discriminating against white voters, should end once and for all the scurrilous accusation that the Obama administration is hostile to prosecuting black defendants on behalf of white victims.
In 2007, a federal court found that Ike Brown, the black chairman of the Noxubee (Mississippi) County Democratic Executive Committee, had engaged in systematic discrimination against white voters and appointed Judge Reuben Anderson to oversee Democratic primaries and runoffs though 2011. The Associated Press called the case "the first of its kind in the country, accusing black political leaders of discriminating against white voters." Earlier this week, the Obama Justice Department filed a motion to prevent Brown from establishing a closed Democratic Primary that the DOJ argued would discriminate against white voters. The Justice Department asked the court to extend its 2007 injunction for two years and to ensure that Brown could not seek to implement voting changes during that time. The DOJ's actions in the Noxubee case further destroys the accusation leveled by right-wing activists that the Obama Justice Department is engaging in race-based justice.
Incredibly, J. Christian Adams and The Washington Times present the DOJ's handling of the case as further evidence of its hostility toward white victims. In a July 13 Pajamas Media post, Adams wrote that "the Department of Justice blew an opportunity to put to rest the issue of whether they are willing to enforce the Voting Rights Act in a race-neutral fashion by objecting to a request by a proven discriminator to further discriminate." Adams said that the Justice Department's handling of the case showed that "they do not want whites and Asians, when they are the discriminated-against minority, to be protected under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act." According to The Washington Times, the Obama Justice Department "did not object" to Brown's request and "issued a 'no determination' letter that ... effectively leaves the issue open for another day."
Brown has been enjoined from administering and manipulating elections since 2007, when a federal judge issued an opinion that he and the Noxubee County Executive Committee violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by discriminating against white voters in a largely black district in Mississippi. An August 28, 2007, Associated Press article reported:
The removal of Ike Brown as chairman of the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee came Monday in an order issued by U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee.
Lee's order satisfied his June 29 opinion that black political leaders in Noxubee County violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by discriminating against white voters.
The U.S. Department of Justice brought the federal lawsuit, the first of its kind in the country, accusing black political leaders of discriminating against white voters in the majority black county.
"This is an important victory for all the voters of Noxubee County," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Wan Kim, who announced his resignation Aug. 24. "The court's ruling helps to reform an unlawful system by placing management of the elections in the hands of an impartial and respected referee-administrator."
In his 13-page ruling, Lee permanently prohibited Brown, who is black, along with the mostly black Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee that he heads and their agents, employees, contractors, successors, and all other persons representing them from:
Imposing qualifications or a prerequisite to voting or "applying any standard, practice, or procedure" that would deny or abridge, based on race or color, a citizen's right to vote.
Maintaining an electoral system or election-related infrastructure that "is not equally open to participation by members of a class of citizens" that would prohibit them from participating in the political process or electing "representatives of their choice."
Lee appointed former state Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson, the first black to serve on the court, as superintendent of elections for all Democratic primaries and runoffs through Nov. 20, 2011. Both the Justice Department and attorneys for Brown and the county Democratic Executive Committee had earlier agreed on Anderson's appointment.
Based upon Lee's order, Anderson will assume all electoral duties of the chairman of the executive committee and its members. He will certify candidates, appoint and assign poll workers and officials, distribute regular ballots and ballot boxes containing absentee ballots, supervise polling locations and officials and certify election results.
But earlier this year, the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee, chaired by Brown, submitted a request (accessed via PACER) under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to create a closed Democratic primary. In a July 12 letter (accessed via PACER), T. Christian Herren, chief of the DOJ's voting section, responded to that request and wrote that "it would be inappropriate for the Attorney General to make a determination concerning your submission." In his "no determination" letter, Herren cited the court's 2007 court order and wrote that "the Referee-Administrator, and not the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee, is the only the [sic] proper submitting official under Section 5 for any proposed voting change in Democratic Party primary elections in Noxubee County during the term of the Remedial Order." The Justice Department also filed a motion to extend the 2007 injunction against Brown and the Noxubee County Democratic Party for an additional two years, citing Brown's and the Noxubee Democratic Party's efforts to "dictate the terms of electoral qualifications," which "violated the Remedial Order." The Justice Department asked the court to prohibit Brown from moving forward with plans to create a closed primary, to prohibit Brown from making any future official filings seeking to change the electoral process, and to extend the 2007 order an additional 2 years.
In seeking additional penalties against Brown, the Justice Department explicitly cited the potential harm to white voters:
The current effort by the Defendants is a part of the same pattern of behavior described by the Court in its liability opinion, in which Mr. Brown was seen to combine partisan motives with underlying racial motives. In the liability opinion, the Court noted that the list of 174 voters Mr. Brown threatened to challenge on party loyalty grounds included only white voters, despite the presence of black voters who met the terms of his party loyalty standard. Brown, 494 F. Supp. 2d at 476. These facts established that Mr. Brown's actions were motivated in part by racial concerns.
In the present situation, the facts show that, as Mr. Brown explained to Mr. Boyd, the February 1, 2008 cut-off date for his new loyalty standard was chosen in order to ensure that it would not unfavorably impact a black Democrat, Noxubee County Justice Court Judge Dirk Dickson, who voted in the 2007 Republican primary. These facts again suggest that Mr. Brown is motivated, at least in part, by racial concerns. This conclusion is bolstered by Mr. Brown's prior history of using a party loyalty standard to reduce white voter participation in Noxubee County Democratic Party primaries, while at the same time not applying a party loyalty standard to similarly situated black voters. Mr. Brown's interest in executing a party loyalty campaign in this way is similar to his 2003 attempt to enforce a party loyalty standard. In 2003, Mr. Brown personally knew that a black Democrat, Shuqualak Mayor Velma Jenkins, publicly supported a Republican candidate, yet he did not include her in the list of 174 white voters whom he threatened to challenge on party loyalty grounds. (Trial Tr. 2475-76.) Indeed, after Mr. Brown learned that Mayor Jenkins was supporting Republican Congressman Chip Pickering, he did not withdraw his support for her for Mayor of Shuqualak. Id.
The United States therefore respectfully requests that the Court enjoin the Defendants from making any attempt to enforce the provisions of their "Motion to close Democratic Primary.
Yet Adams cites the case as evidence of the DOJ "is trying to dodge the central issue of whether they will use Section 5 to protect a white victim" and claims that the DOJ's motion to prevent Ike Brown from submitting requests to the Justice Department is a "shamefully transparent" way to ensure that "the DOJ won't have to take the side of the white victims."
At this point the DOJ under the Obama administration has successfully obtained default judgment against Samir Shabazz, a member of the New Black Panther Party who carried a weapon outside a polling station on Election Day 2008, and has requested additional judgment against black leaders in Mississippi who were found to have discriminated against white voters. There is simply no justifiable reason to present these accusations as anything more than race baiting.


text:
Menu of Suggested Provisions for State Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Laws
We would like to extend our thanks to the participants of the workshop entitled "Developing a Menu of Suggested Provisions for State Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Laws," held in Atlanta, Georgia on February 4-5, 2010, for their valuable input and contributions. Workshop participants included state TB controllers, state and local TB program staff, legal counsel to state and local TB programs, representatives from partner organizations (National Tuberculosis Controllers Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and National Association of County and City Health Officials), U.S. Department of Justice staff, and CDC staff in the following offices and programs: Division of Tuberculosis Elimination; Public Health Law Program; Office of the General Counsel; National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention; and National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. We also extend our thanks to the Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and the Association of Public Health Laboratories for their valuable comments, and to the American Bar Association for their contributions to the workshop.


text:
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text:
Chasing down the fridge with a bat
My wife is afraid of our ice machine.
As for me, I was at first very happy to even have an ice machine. Growing up in Queens, my family's idea of a new refrigerator was to get the old one professionally painted. Even that was anticlimactic because the guy my parents hired painted our fridge the wrong color. He actually sprayed it white when he was supposed to do beige, explaining to my mom that our last name, which was written on the order ticket, threw him off. He got it right eventually. Still, I remained envious of my friends whose homes boasted ice machines.
How I yearned to be able to simply press my Batman cup against a machine of my own during breaks from Super Mario Bros. or Nintendo Ice Hockey. Instead, I had to comb through bags of peas and frozen tomato sauce just to crack open a tray of low-grade cubes, which always seemed to take on the subtle flavor of leftovers.
Refilling the ice tray was especially torturous.
Now that I have arrived, having purchased my first home in December, I can say this: Never did I imagine that this long-coveted machine would throw my life into such a tizzy.
Let me quickly note that my wife, Suzanne, is afraid of her own shadow. God forbid I get home 10 minutes early and happen to stumble upon her blow-drying her hair; one day the neighbors are going to hear her screams and call the police.
My working nights in Manhattan a few years back was also a challenge for us. Waking Suzanne at 12:45 a.m. to let her know I was home was always heart-wrenching. It was tough to see my companion of six years stare at me with a look of terror before she realized who I was. I tried different approaches, but the results were always the same. I always felt bad for her, too, considering she had just three or four hours of sleep left after each ordeal.
Now I just feel bad for me. Especially when ice levels in the house are low.
You see, when that magical ice machine, like an outer space nebula spinning dust into a newborn star, pushes that perfectly formed piece of crystal into the tray with its brothers, my wife wakes up.
The lower the ice level, the louder the clunk of ice on ice.
She's usually not sure what woke her up, she just knows it's something. And she's not going back to sleep unless I walk through the house like a maniac in my boxer shorts and socks with a T-ball bat in hand.
I even have to check the unfinished basement just in case brazen burglars decide it would make sense to play some Ping-Pong in the middle of a heist that, incidentally, wouldn't net them much unless pawn shops are now paying top dollar for antiquated computers and old Time magazines.
My wife is often fast asleep upon my return. Having no one to talk to, I usually just put the bat away and lie down with my heart pumping — because even after circling houses and apartments hundreds of times in my life with a bat or blade, there's still a part of my brain gearing up for that long-awaited, rage-fueled encounter.
That day may come just yet.
And after I get finished with the bat, we'll probably have to buy a new refrigerator.
Michael White is the editor of the Riverhead News-Review. He can be reached at [email protected] or 631-298-3200, ext. 152.


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Prepare yourself for 21st century warfare in Battlefield: Modern Combat. The award-winning Battlefield franchise is coming to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and the action is going to be fierce. The good news is that you have a team of grunts at your side to help you survive the frenzied close-quarters combat. The bad news is that you have to engage the enemy on their home turf, in the world's most dangerous hot spots. If you're going to come out of the fire fight in one piece, you'll have to use all the high-powered tools at your disposal-assault rifles, shotguns, machineguns, and advanced vehicles including heavy tanks, high-tech fighter jets, powerful attack helicopters, and more.
- Battlefield: Modern Combat comes to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox for the first time in an all-new game set on the modern battlefield.
- Engage in major conflicts with 24 players.
- Roar onto the battlefield in 30 land, sea, and air vehicles, including armored fighting vehicles, attack helicopters, and speedboats.
- Give the enemy a lesson in modern firepower with 75 weapons such as assault rifles, shotguns, machine guns, and grenade launchers.
- Get deep into your online game experience with buddy lists, stat tracking, and in-game clan creation.
- Fight like hell to increase your rank from Private to General.
- Blast away as U.S., Chinese, or Middle East Coalition troops, each with their own unique arsenals.
- Voiceover communication supported with USB headset.


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This past weekend Red Bull hosted another StarCraft II tournament, which they call the Training Grounds, and featured some of the best players from around the world. There was also a surprise coming out of Brazil with the Brazil Gaming League Arena which saw some fierce competition in the free-to-play first person shooter Cross Fire.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find those highlight clips I promise in the video above, but here are the finals in all their glory if you're curious to see what's got Brazil so excited.
Finally, Sony Online Entertainment is gearing up for SOE Live which is going to take place this weekend, August 1-4. There will be lots of news for the new Battle Islands as well as a $US10,000 tournament live at the event!
Of course, you can watch my recap of everything in the video above.
Alex Mendez is a professional eSports broadcaster who has worked for companies such as Major League Gaming, World Cyber Games, IGN Pro League, Twitch TV, Electronic Arts, Activision, Sony Online Entertainment and more. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his YouTube.


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Fully Charged: Steve Jobs' time capsule unearthed, flexi-screened Galaxy Note 3 coming soon, and the voice-activated 3D printer
Four tech stories to keep you busy while your quaff your morning coffee/tea/kale juice
Steve Jobs' 30-year-old time capsule discovered
30 years ago, the late Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs was among a group of International Design Conference attendees that donated items to a time capsule in Aspen, Colorado. Jobs donated the Lisa mouse he had used during his presentation at the conference, and among the hundreds of other items were a Rubik's cube, a six-pack of beer and a Moody Blues record. Well, it was 1983.
The capsule – a 13-foot long tube – was originally due for exhumation in 2000, but excavators had lost its location and it was, essentially, deemed to be MIA. Until now: enter the crew of National Geographic's Diggers show, who found and dug up the tube. Many items inside were mouldy and ruined, but some, including Jobs' mouse, had been packed in plastic and hence survived the 30-year hibernation relatively intact. [Source: CNET]
Flexi-screened Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Active "coming soon"
If a report is true, we could be seeing Samsung's YOUM flexible display technology finally making its way into a consumer product as early as next month. Android Community claims that the limited edition Note 3 Active will rock a bendy, near-unbreakable screen and waterproof construction. Stay tuned for more soon… [Source: Android Community]
Linn Exakt hi-fi puts your source in the speaker
Most hi-fis convert digital audio to analogue long before the signal reaches the speaker, but the Exakt from Linn works to keep the lossless digital path going for as long as possible. In fact, the signal is converted inside the speaker itself, at the very last stage before you hear it. Linn calls it "the most direct connection ever made between the listener and the artist" and while the hyperbole is worthy of Kanye West, the fact is that high quality recordings like Studio Master files should remain more loss-free than on any standard hi-fi. Want one? Well, here's the thing: prices for the Exakt start at £50,000. One to bookmark for when your lottery numbers finally come up, then…
Voice-activated 3D printer makes whatever you tell it to
Yahoo! Japan has delivered a very special 3D printer to a Japanese school for visually-impaired children. When the kids speak a search term – "giraffe" or "car" – the printer retrieves 3D image data from the web and uses it as the basis for a model. You can see exactly how it works in the video above.


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by Natalie Gibson
Riele Holbrook, daughter of Mark and Debbie (Slone) Holbrook, has been furthering her love of tennis over the summer months. Riele recently competed in the Bluegrass State Games where she earned second place for her division. She faced girls from around the state during this 12 and under singles tournament, losing in a very close battle during the championship match. After winning one set and losing one, Riele battled hard in the tiebreaker set. She lost by the slim margin of 11-13.
The Bluegrass State Games were created in 1985 by Governor Martha Layne Collins, and boasts the largest participation of any amateur sporting event in the state. Over 30 different sporting events are offered in six different counties with an average of 16,000 participants each year.
In addition to competing in this tournament, Riele had the opportunity to attend tennis camp at the University of Kentucky during the month of June. At the camp, she was able to get five hours of instruction each day with UK's world-class coaching staff. Students from across the state attended this camp to work on all aspects of their tennis game. It was truly an experience that Riele will never forget!
Even though she is only 11 years old, Riele is quite an ambitious young lady, both athletically and academically. During her years at The June Buchanan School, where she is currently a 6th grader, she has been a member of the Tennis Team and Cross Country Team, in addition to being a member of the Elementary Academic Team and captain of the Future Problem Solving Team. Riele plans to compete in several other tennis tournaments this summer and fall, including the Kenny Huffman Tennis Classic in Pikeville on August 2nd-4th.


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Needle artifact localization in 3T MR images.
Studies in health technology and informatics. 119, 120–125. DiMaio2006.pdf (369.31 KB)
(2006). Robot-assisted needle placement in open MRI: system architecture, integration and validation.
Journal of Computer Aided Surgery. 12, 15–24. DiMaio2007a.pdf (372.98 KB)


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Fundamentals of Transportation/Modeling
All forecasts are wrong; some forecasts are more wrong than others. - anonymous
Modeling is a means for representing reality in an abstracted way. Your mental models are your world view: your outlook on life, and the world. The world view is your internal model of how the world works; it is employed every time you make a prediction: what do you expect, what is a surprise. The expression "Where you stand depends on where you sit" epitomizes this idea. Your world view is shaped by your experience and your position.
When modeling, the issue of Point of View should be considered. It must be clear who (and what) the results are for. If you are modeling for personal pleasure, it will naturally reflect your own worldview, but if you are working for an employer or client, their point of view must also be considered, if the inputs or results deviate significantly from their worldview, they may adapt their worldview, but more likely will dismiss the model.
Modeling can be conducted both for subjective advocacy and for objective analysis. The same methods may be employed in either, and the ethical modeler will produce the same results in either case, but they may be used differently.
Why Model?[edit | edit source]
There are a variety of reasons to model. Modeling helps
- gain insight into complex situations by understanding simpler situations resembling them
- optimize the use of resources in building or maintaining systems
- operate system, particularly by testing alternative operational scenarios
- educate and provide experience for model-builders
- provide a platform for testing contending ideas and use in negotiations.
Particular applications in transportation include:
- Forecasting traffic
- Testing scenarios (alternative land uses, networks, policies)
- Planning projects/corridor studies
- Regulating land use: Growth management/public facility adequacy
- Managing complexity, when eyeballs are insufficient, (different people have different intuitions)
- Understanding travel behavior
- Influencing decisions
- Estimating traffic in the absence of data
Developing Models[edit | edit source]
As an engineer, economist, or planner you may be given a model to use. But that model was not spontaneously generated, it came from other engineers, economists, or planners who undertook a series of steps to translate raw data into a tool that could be used to generate useful information.
The first step, specification, tells us what depends on what (the number of trips leaving a zone may depend on the number of households). The estimation step tells us how strong these relationships mathematically are, (each household generates two trips in the peak hour). Implementation takes those relationships and puts them into a computer program. Calibration looks at the output of the computer program and compares it to other data, if they don't match exactly, adjustments to the models may be made. Validation compares the results to data at another point in time. Finally the model is applied to look at a project (e.g. how much traffic will use Granary Road after Washington Avenue is closed to traffic).
- Specification:
- Estimation:
- ; m=1, b=2
- Implementation
- If Z > W, Then
- Calibration
- Validation
- Application
Specification[edit | edit source]
When building a model system, numerous decisions must be made. These are discussed below:
Types of Models[edit | edit source]
There are numerous types of models, a short list is below. Each has different applicability, multiple methods may be used in pursuit of the same question, sometimes they are complementary, and sometimes competitive techniques.
- Network analysis
- Linear Programming
- Nonlinear Programming
- Simulation
- Deterministic queuing
- Probabilistic queuing
- Regression
- Neural Nets
- Genetic Algorithm
- Cost/ Benefit Analysis
- Life-cycle costing
- System Dynamics
- Control Theory
- Difference Equations
- Differential Equations
- Probabilistic Risk Assessment
- Supply/Demand Equilibrium
- Game Theory
- Statistical Decision Theory
- Markov Models
- Cellular Automata
- Etc.
Model Trade-offs[edit | edit source]
Building a model requires trading-off time and resource constraints. One could always be more detailed, more accurate, or more comprehensive if resources were not constrained. However, the following must also be considered.
- Money,
- Data,
- Computation,
- Labor,
- Ease of Use,
- Convincing (e.g. Graphic Displays),
- Extendable,
- Evidence of Model Benefits,
- Measuring Model Success
Organization of Model System[edit | edit source]
- Hierarchy of Models
- Centralized vs. Decentralized (Optimization (Global) vs. Agent, Local Optimization)
Time[edit | edit source]
- Time Frame
- Static vs. Dynamic
- Real Time vs. Offline
- Short Term vs. Long Term (Partial vs. General Equilibrium)
- Proactive vs. Reactive (Predictive vs. Responsive)
Space[edit | edit source]
- Scale/Detail
- Spatial Extent
- Boundaries (Boundary Effects)
- Macroscopic vs. Microscopic (Zones, Flows vs. Individuals, Vehicles)
Process[edit | edit source]
- Stochastic vs. Deterministic
- Linear vs. Nonlinear
- Continuous vs. Discrete
- Numerical Simulation vs. Closed Form Solution
- Equilibrium vs. Disequilibrium
Type[edit | edit source]
- Behavioral vs. Aggregate Model
- Physical vs. Mathematical Models
Solution Techniques[edit | edit source]
When solving the model, the system as a whole must be understood. Several questions arise:
- Does the solution exist?
- Is the solution unique?
- Is the solution feasible?
Solution techniques often trade-off accuracy vs. speed. Some solution techniques may only guarantee a local optima, while others (such as brute force techniques) can guarantee a global optimum, but may be much slower.
"Four-Step" Urban Transportation Planning Models[edit | edit source]
We want to answer a number of related questions (who, what, where, when, why, and how):
- Who is traveling or what is being shipped?
- Where are the origin and destination of those trips, shipments?
- When do those trips begin and end (how long do they take, how far away are the trip ends)?
- Why are the trips being made, what is their purpose?
- How are the trips getting there, what routes or modes are they taking?
If we know the answers to those questions, we want to know what are the answers to those questions a function of?
- Cost: Money, Time spent on the trip,
- Cost: Money and Time of alternatives.
- Benefit (utility) of trip (e.g. the activity at the destination)
- Benefit of alternatives
The reason for this is to understand what will happen under various circumstances:
- How much "induced demand" will be generated if a roadway is expanded?
- How many passengers will be lost if bus services are cut back?
- How many people will be "priced off" if tolls are implemented?
- How much traffic will a new development generate?
- How much demand will I lose if I raise shipping costs to my customers?
In short, for urban passenger travel, we are trying to predict the number of trips by:
- Origin Activity,
- Destination Activity,
- Origin Zone,
- Destination Zone,
- Mode,
- Time of Day, and
- Route.
This is clearly a multidimensional problem.
In practice, the mechanism to do this is to employ a "four-step" urban transportation planning model, each step will be detailed in subsequent modules. These steps are executed in turn, though there may be feedback between steps:
- Trip Generation - How many trips or are entering or leaving zone or
- Trip Distribution or Destination Choice - How many trips are going from zone to zone
- Mode Choice - How many trips from to are using mode
- Route Choice - Which links are trips from to by mode using route
Thought Questions[edit | edit source]
- Is past behavior reflective of future behavior?
- Can the future be predicted?
- Is the future independent of decisions, or are prophecies self-fulfilling?
- How do we know if forecasts were successful?
- Against what standard are they to be judged?
- What values are embedded in the planning process?
- What happens when values change?
Additional Problems[edit | edit source]
Key Terms[edit | edit source]
- Rational Planning
- Transportation planning model
- Matrix, Full Matrix, Vector Matrix, Scalar Matrix
- Trip table
- Travel time matrix
- Origin, Destination
- Purpose
- Network
- Zone (Traffic Analysis Zone or Transportation Analysis Zone, or TAZ)
- External station or external zone
- Centroid
- Node
- Link
- Turn
- Route
- Path
- Mode


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Finding the perfect wine for artisanal breads and spreads
Nancy and Keith Kouris had never given much thought to which wine might go best with their artisanal breads and spreads. But that was the task the Blue Duck Bakery owners were faced with for Saturday's 'Winter Foodie Series' event hosted by Sherwood House Vineyards.
With notes on the wines from Sherwood co-owner Brian Sckipp, Ms. Kouris researched the spreads as her husband made the breads.
"We tried to match the notes on the wines with the spreads and breads," Ms. Kouris said.
The result was five pairings: classic Parisian with tarragon/lemon butter spread and 2011 unoaked chardonnay; Italian Pugliese Sesamo with smoked brie and 2010 chardonnay; raisin walnut Levain with olive tapenade and 2007 Oregon Road merlot; pain Levain with roasted red peppers and 2007 cabernet franc; and the last one was German sunflower rye with dark mushroom cream sauce and 2007 Sherwood Manor blend.
"This is always my favorite," Mr. Sckipp's told the tasters of the final wine.
Mr. Kouris said that the final pairing was one of the easiest.
"I thought out of the box on this one," he said. "It was rich and creamy with the earthy mushroom spread. The sunflowers adds the nuttiness to it."
Mr. Sckipp said the duo did "an excellent job of pairing the nuances of the wine with the nuances of the bread."
"We are truly fortunate to find wonderful local purveyors on both forks," he said.
Sherwood House Vineyards, which has vines planted on 28 acres in Mattituck since 1996, is in its second season of their 'Winter Foodie Series' organized by tasting room manager Ami Davey. The tasting room is in Material Objects in Jamesport and the wine and food pairings take place once a month from November through February in a cozy barn on the back of the property. So far this season they had tastings with Catapano goat cheese of Southold and a charcuterie platter from Lombardi Market of Holtsville.
Next month the tasting will be spaghetti and meatballs prepared by Jamesport's Grana Wood Fired Pizza's chef David Plath.


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Thursday, September 29, 2011
What 2 Eat in London?
34 comments:
Hi There Carol
So glad you loved the Sketchrecommendation I sent you last time !!
Fish and Chips at The Seashell in Lisson Grove consistently wins awrds & is very Close to Alfie's Antique market which is worth a visit .
Have you been to Spitalfields Market ?? That is worth a look and there is a fabulous Coffee House opposite in Brushfield Street called The Market Coffee House, it does a wonderful breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner oysters etc etc. In a wonderfully atmospheric building dated 1670. Do go and look upstairs if you visit and i would recommend you go.
RosemaryThanks Rosemary!!
I never know where to get fish n chips - The Seashell looks perfect!
I'll have the skate...or the haddock or...the fishcakes?- Kerrie2:51 PM
Asian food in London is awesome, especially Indian. I'm always on such a budget that I tend to eat take-away sandwiches, but my favorite treat is the little pot of tea just about anywhere for not much money. Add a scone, and it's just right! :) So many lovely art exhibits and theater going on this fall. Wish I was going, too!
Oh yes- the cafe at St. Martin in the Fields has good comfort food, lots of scope for imagination, & it's across the street from the Nat'l Gallery, one of my favorite free London indulgences. Still free, for the moment! Oh my, you are lucky! I love London! We were there in June last year. My fav shop of all time- Fortnum & Mason! I love love that turquoise colour in their logo and decor! We ate in their cafe - scrumptious and so prettily decorated too - I think you'll enjoy it- try it out if you haven'r yet!
ReplyDeleteFlorida Bird -
Food for thought is in Covent Garden area - you can't get more central London than that.
Ah ha Veronica!
So Shepherds Market is a kind of foodie mall of sorts...many, mnay choices.- Leslie in London3:58 AM
I Was in Rococo in my neighborhood this afternoon, buying some things to take as gifts to LA and it turns out that next week is Chocolate Week in the UK !!!!
Rococo is doing a number of events, and you will be in London for their Autumn 2011 launch and tasting --- as well as other events, though you will miss the chocolate and wine tasting.
You can book for the events at rococochocolates.eventbrite.com --- perhaps you planned this, or perhaps serendipity....
Have a great time ---- I bought some homemade marshmellows, raspberry and blackberry.... thinking of them floating in hot chocolate......


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My Good-ish Experience
I rented some movies so that I could watch them over the Christmas break. This didn't work out with two movies. In the midst of watching these issues cropped up. And the screen advised me to contact Amazon Customer Support. So I did.
I initiated the contact via online chat because that is what Amazon has decided. As I work in the Customer arena I quickly figured out I was dealing with a 'dumb' bot – fit only for a small number of rigid scenarios. My issue didn't fit within this frame so I asked, in writing, to be put through to a human being. I was – yet wasted minutes unnecessarily and didn't appreciate this.
Question: If the customer is genuinely king then why didn't Amazon treat me like one? Why didn't Amazon treat me like an adult: give me the option of going directly to a human being via chat, via telephone, or via email?
Answer: Amazon's focus is clearly on reducing/containing the costs associated with customer interactions. Not on delivering good customer service, nor on enabling/facilitating a great customer experience.
Now, I am through to a human being via online chat. I describe my problem, provide the relevant details, then wait. After a few minutes, this human being asks me for the order numbers. I find the orders and respond with the order numbers. After a few minutes, I am told that I have been refunded the money I have paid for these orders. I write back "I am not interested in the money. I contacted you to get the issue fixed. The issue is that I paid to watch these movies. I cannot watch them as there is an error. I have been asked to contact you. I have and I expect you to fix it so that I can watch these movies. I wait more than a few minutes. Finally, I am told that this issue is fixed. I thank this person and disconnect from the chat.
Question: Why did this person seek to refund me the money as opposed to addressing the issue that I was facing?
Answer: Because it was easier/quicker to refund the money than to fix the issue. Which is to say that the priority was to get me off the chat then to do that which was necessary to 'deliver' a good customer experience. This leads to question the performance metrics that are being used by Amazon to drive customer interactions, and manage their outsource 'partner'.
I found myself happy and grateful. Why? Because I got the outcome I had desired – to watch these movies with family & friends. Yet, the bad taste to do with the experience of getting to this outcome still clings. In the past, it was not this hard to get good customer service from Amazon.
The Bad Experience
I order an electronics product and I am given a delivery date that falls in the next two days. That works for me. The product does not turn up. Instead, I get a message saying that there is an issue with my delivery but it's on its way and will arrive shortly. It doesn't – a week goes by. I have seen this before and I know what to do: I go cancel the original order and place a fresh order for exactly the same product. This new order is fulfilled the next day.
After a few days, I notice that Amazon has not refunded me for the order Amazon has failed to deliver and which I have canceled. So I contact Amazon via online chat. The bot is there, I ask to be put through to a human being. After a few minutes, I am engaged in an online chat with a human being. I describe my issue: clearly stating what it is that I want: refund for the non-fulfilled canceled order.
What do I get in return? A bunch of reasons why that cannot happen: the product has to be found, then it has to find its way back to Amazon warehouse, only then can the order be canceled and the refund issued.
I point out the facts: 1) I order a product and Amazon supplied a delivery date; 2) Amazon failed to deliver that product; 3) I canceled that order and placed a new order…. And I want a refund on the basis. What is Amazon's response? To repeat that which has already been communicated to me: the Amazon process.
At this point, I find that I have had enough of this nonsense – Amazon has forked up and instead of fixing the issue is wasting my time. I point out my rights and state that I expect a refund or proof that Amazon has delivered that product to me – my signature will suffice. The person on the other end of this online chat relents and issues me with that refund.
Question: Why is it that Amazon 'delivered' such a poor customer experience? Why has this organization turned a loyal customer to a reluctant customer?
Answer: Amazon is now infected with that 'disease' that infects organizations that are successful and grow large: focus on their policies, their operations, their needs/wants, and a blindness to the impact of these on the Customer Experience.
The Ugly Experience
I bought a set of electronics products as gifts for family members a couple of days before Christmas. A day or so after Christmas one of these family members noticed a price reduction on that product. And asked me to get that price reduction. Other family members were listening and wanted the same.
I contacted Amazon support and eventually found myself on the telephone with an agent. I explained that I had bought a bunch of electronics product at price £x, and that the price had now been reduced to £y. That I had another 28 days or so to send the products back to Amazon and get a refund. And that I could reorder (right then) the exact products at the lower price. That following this course of action would just create work for Amazon and for me. So how about you, Amazon, credit my account (with a gift card) for the difference in price?
Amazon's response? No, we don't price match. If you want to get the benefit of the lower price then return the existing products, and re-order at the lower price. That is what I did.
Why implement a policy that means that Amazon has to:
- Pay the freight costs with returning multiple products?
- Take receipt of multiple returns – as each product has to be returned on its own – and process each of these returns through the systems;
- Pick and pack multiple orders;
- Pay the costs of dispatching multiple orders – to replace those that had been returned;
- Incur additional cost with ZERO financial benefits, and an incur negative customer goodwill?
Honestly, I cannot explain this. This strikes me as stupidity: shooting yourself in the foot deliberately. The kind of short-sightedness and stupidity for which Brexit is the word.
Summing up these experiences what has Amazon achieved? Turn me from a happy (even delighted customer in the past) into a dissatisfied customer. Dissatisfied enough to share his experience with the world. Will I continue to buy from Amazon? Yes, but reluctantly. As and when a better option comes along I will take it.
I thank you for your listening and wish you the very best. Until the next time…
Read the original post here.


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Sick Puppies is an alternative rock band formed in 1997 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of vocalist Shimon Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin. When the Australian band decided to break through in the U.S., founding members, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Shimon Moore and his high school classmate, bassist Emma Anzai, simply picked up and moved lock, stock and guitar amps to L.A., advertised for a drummer on Craig's List, and were soon joined by Orange County native Mark Goodwin.
When the Australian band decided to break through in the U.S., founding members, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Shimon Moore and his high school classmate, bassist Emma Anzai, simply picked up and moved lock, stock and guitar amps to L.A., advertised for a drummer on Craig's List, and were soon joined by Orange County native Mark Goodwin.
After getting signed and putting out their debut, the trio made their own video independently to accompanying the first single, ?All the Same,? shot in a Sydney shopping mall in which fellow Aussie Juan Mann held up a hand-written placard offering passersby ?Free Hugs.? The clip attracted over 64 million views on YouTube alone, and spawned a world-wide phenomenon.
Three years later, Sick Puppies are back with a new album and producing team from Dressed Up As Life, Rock Mafia's Antonina Armato and Tim James. Together they've created a sound that reflects the past four whirlwind years spent in the rock and roll fast lane, on the grueling tour grind, honing their chops until they were a finely tuned powerhouse ready to let loose with the anger, frustration and triumphs built up from all that road work.
Songs like the storming first single, ?You're Going Down,? which is being used as the theme song for the WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view broadcast, and ?Street Fighter War,? which was used as part of the national marketing campaign for the popular video game Street Fighter IV, distill all that energy into high-powered festival anthems.
?There was plenty of fuel, a lot of hard times, strain, personal problems and all that jazz,? says Moore of the creative process, ?and we just put it all into the record. There's no way you can prevent it from flooding into the music.?
Emma agrees much of that aggression found its way onto the album. ?When you're on that one-track path, you tend to suppress all the other stuff that may come up along the way. But all those years of playing live have paid off with us sounding stronger and more cohesive than ever before. When you perform, everything is very visceral. This album is an expression of that kind of raw emotion.?
?We wanted a big-sounding record that would connect with live audiences,? adds Shimon. ?We just stuck with what we knew worked from playing over the last few years. We had a little more creative control in the studio this time, more ideas about what we wanted to sound like.
?Second time around, you're always a little bit more aware of how to do things,? says Emma. ?We're really beginning to know what kind of sound we wanted, and how to achieve certain effects. We're now mindful of how these songs will come across live.?
New songs like the Buzzcocks-meets-Pistols drug-laced speed-punk of ?Survive,? the heavy Nirvana-esque grunge drone of ?I Hate You? and the jagged shards of Rage Against the Machine rhythms in ?So What I Lied? give Tri-Polar its feel of cathartic build-and-release.
?We wanted to get back to a sort of organic feel,? says Shimon. ?All of that stuff you have to internalize on the road?when you can't afford to throw a hissy fit because you're doing an interview or performing on-stage?we let out on this record.?
Now that Tri-Polar is done, Sick Puppies are preparing to get back out there and do what they do best?play live.
?Our whole spirit comes together when we're on-stage,? says Emma. ?When we get ready to go out there, we're like gladiators entering the arena.?
?I can't wait,? says Mark about returning to the road. ?If there's anything that people should know, it's that we're all about playing live.?
In addition to concerts, Sick Puppies can be seen on theatre screens in Rock Prophecies, an award-winning documentary about legendary rock photographer Robert M. Knight, who famously took the band under his wing when they first came to the States. The film also includes interviews with Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Slash, Steve Vai, Billy Gibbons, Def Leppard, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rick Nielsen and Joe Bonamassa, among others, who knew Knight, dubbed by some, ?the Forrest Gump of rock and roll.?
?He was the first person we met and got to know when we came over here,? says Emma. ?He introduced us to other people we still work with to this day.?
Sick Puppies have more than survived since their arrival in the U.S. by dedicating themselves to getting their music heard on a variety of different media?including TV commercials, theme songs, ?Free Hugs? videos, documentary films and, of course, the Internet.
?There are just so many options out there,? acknowledges Shimon. ?Every band needs a kind of hook, and we've been lucky because we've had more opportunities than a lot of others get.?
?I used to be much more concerned with fame, fortune and rock stardom,? admits Shimon. ?Now my main focus is joy. A few things have happened to me over the last few years which made me realize nothing is forever. There's always a negative and positive way to look at stuff, and you can eliminate the negative by focusing on the positive, but that's the most difficult thing in the world to do.?
On Tri-Polar, Sick Puppies see the glass as not just half-full, but brimming over with the kind of solid-rock anthems that'll remind even the most cynical that absolutely anything is possible.
www.sickpuppies.net www.myspace.com/sickpuppies